The relevance of black Greek-letter organizations has been under much scrutiny.

There has been debate about whether or not these organizations still serve their purpose in this day and age compared to the initial years of their founding.

From the outside looking in, people may get the perception that Greek-letter organizations are no more than organized gangs, an excuse to skip class, or party promotion firms. If someone took a look around TSU, they would most likely be right.

Greek life has seemingly become a shell of its former self. When they were initially founded, these organizations were built on principles that were prevalent in the black community, including scholarship, community service, brotherhood and betterment of society.

These organizations were synonymous with the ideals that they were built upon.

In comparison to what these organizations once were, they are currently nothing more than elite social clubs.

One ideal that these organizations uphold in particular is community service; this is virtually non-existent at Tennessee State University.

While some campus service events have been held, there haven't been nearly enough.
As organizations that profess to bring awareness through community service events, a poor job is being done.

For these organizations to maintain their notoriety, perhaps some reevaluation should be done. Could Greeks do more? In a manner of speaking, yes.

In essence, Greek organizations are a significant part of the collegiate experience.

As such, these organizations should be doing everything within their power to be a positive representation of a culture that remains misunderstood by many.

Recognizing an issue is often the first step to solving it; this has been a problem within the Greek community for far too long.

Public opinion of these organizations can vary from person to person, but the message is essentially the same: Greeks have lost their way.

With fraternities and sororities being such a powerful force, more resources should be utilized. The paradigm of a university, especially TSU, can be changed through proper leadership.

There is a huge amount of untapped potential being wasted. Mahatma Ghandi said it best: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Perhaps fraternities and sororities should stop strolling in the courtyard long enough to realize that they can be that change.

M. Antonio Silas is managing editor of The Meter, the Tennessee State University student newspaper, which originally published this article.

Articles in the Voices section represent the opinions of the individual writers and do not reflect the views of Black College Wire.